Exploring New Paths to a Better Nursing Future
The Nursing Institute of West Central Ohio is actively involved in shaping the future of nursing and nursing education by conducting research into nursing best practices, nursing ergonomics, robotics, sensors, human patient simulators and other areas.
Nursing Institute of West Central Ohio Research Projects
Behavior Based Ergonomic Therapies
 Dr. Govind Bharwani is director of Nursing Ergonomics and Alzheimer Care at the Nursing Institute of West Central Ohio and co-director of ergonomics in the BIE Department, College of Engineering, Wright State University. Working with his daughter, consultant Meena Bharwani, Dr. Bharwani has developed a system of therapies that can be used by caregivers to help their residents to ease their boredom and stimulate their minds. The concept of “Behavior Based Ergonomic Therapies” or BBET is being used at the St. Leonard Living Community’s Alzheimer’s unit, and officials and family members there say residents are happier, more relaxed and better behaved thanks to the system.
Fact sheet: Alzheimer's project, St. Leonard's
Nursing Ergonomics Director outlines Alzheimer's pilot program
Research grant awarded.
Collaboration with St. Leonard
BBET research expands..
Remote Presence Robot
 The Nursing Institute of West Central Ohio has conducted research using "remote presence robots" from from Intouch Health of Santa Barbara, California Each robot features a wheeled base that allows it to move under the direction of a controller sitting at a remote laptop computer. A computer screen atop the unit displays the controller’s face and allows him to speak to patients and other staff while video and audio pick-ups allow him to see and hear. The robots allows a nurse, doctor, expert or other person to interact within an environment from long distance.
Robot project Miami Valley Hospital
Robot Project Veterans Administration hospital
Hemophilia Care
 The Living Laboratory of the Nursing Institute of West Central Ohio is an ideal venue for training caregivers in the skills needed for practicing nursing in a home setting. Doctors Sherrill Smith and Detrice Barry, who are members of the faculty at the Wright State University – Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health, were quick to recognize the potential of the Living Laboratory and utilized it to study the use of human patient simulators in hemophilia care education. Pictured here, Dr. Smith (left) and Dr. Barry (right) collaborated with former simulation director Patti Burnell (center) on researching teaching techniques for both nurses and home caregivers.
Hemophilia research fact sheet
Video featuring the hemophilia education research
More about Dr. Barry and Dr. Smith
Sensor Technology
 Wright State University researchers are currently developing sensor applications to keep an eye on at-risk residents in their homes. One sensor system, being developed under the leadership of Dr. Vikram Sethi, is designed to track the movements and well-being of residents as they move from room to room around their homes. A separate sensor project, headed by Dr. Kuldip Rattan, is designed to track people within a room in three dimensions. In addition to showing which room an individual occupies, the system will show if the person is standing, sitting or lying on the floor. Pictured here is Dr. Seti demonstrating the system for an engineer visiting the Living Laboratory.
Sensor research fact sheet
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